2015 Alfa Romeo 4c Launch Edition on 2040-cars

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This Alfa Romeo Giulia shows why its owner scored a job at Singer Vehicle Design

The original Giulia may not have been the most beautiful Alfa Romeo ever built, but it was one of the coolest. It was built at two different locations in Milan from 1962 through 1978, and as squared-off as it is, it still has an enduring sense of style. No wonder Alfa is planning on reviving the nameplate, just as it did with the Giulietta. It's just the kind of car that a video series like Petrolicious was born to profile, and that's why it's the subject of this latest episode. This particular 1970 Giulia 1300 Ti belongs to one Dorian Valenzuela, who bought it on Craigslist and modified it just the way he wanted – and to beautiful effect, we might add. In fact, we weren't the only ones who were impressed with Dorian's work, either: the job he did on the Giulia lead him to land a job with Singer Vehicle Design, purveyor of spectacularly reimagined Porsche restomods. News Source: Petrolicious via YouTube Alfa Romeo Classics Videos Sedan petrolicious alfa romeo giulia

Aston Martin applies to trademark 'Vanguard' name

Aston Martin hit up three trademark registration offices in an effort to reserve the name "Vanguard." The automaker from Gaydon sent two requests to the European Union Intellectual Property, one to the Japan Patent Office, and one to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 22. CarBuzz discovered the filings and suspects the name could be applied to the carmaker's first battery-electric vehicle. We've no idea if that's correct, but it sounds like a fine guess. Two years ago, then-Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers told Motor Trend the automaker would overhaul its conventional lineup in 2023, launch the luxury automaker's first EVs in 2026, and convert half the lineup to electric cars by 2030. Other reports from last year indicated the brand would offer an electrified version of every model in the range by that year, and launch an EV in 2025. The new Vanquish is expected to arrive in 2025 with a hybrid powertrain, and there were suspicions awhile back that it would offer an electric option. The questions are, is the Vanguard the name for the rumored electric Vanquish? And if Vanguard ends up being used anywhere, and that use is on an EV concept or production car, has the timetable for that car's appearance changed? Filing a trademark often happens in the final year or two before debut. Aston Martin just applied for the DB12 name; we expect that car on the market in less than a year. A similar span separated the Valkyrie, 2001 Vanquish, DBS trademarks from their launches. On the other hand, the Cygnet got trademarked here two years before its launch, the DBX, five. Our guess is that we'll see the EV before the timeline we might have expected in 2021. This is the brand's 110th anniversary year, after all. Between that, the raft of new product on the way, and a stunning start to the Formula 1 season, why not take advantage of the momentum. Company boss Lawrence Stroll might also want to show investors — both those who could inject more money and those who might be trying buy a large share — that the company is ready to ride the alternative energy tide the appropriate way this time, as opposed to its last electric effort, the Aston Martin Rapide E. The electrification is anticipated to commence this year with the arrival of the V8-powered plug-in hybrid powertrain in the Valhalla, and could be bolstered by a mild hybrid system in the updated DB11 thought to be renamed DB12.

Editors' Choice: Top Five 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show Debuts

Consider the 2015-16 auto show season officially kicked off. The Frankfurt Motor Show offered a great look at the newest crop of production cars and conceptual machines, and brought some old favorites back into the spotlight for a closer look. (The Alfa Romeo Giulia, for example, debuted in June, but this was the first time most of us saw it.) Now that the dust has settled and we're all on flights back to the US, our editors cast their votes for their personal favorites from the Frankfurt show. These are the cars we truly loved seeing the most. But unlike other shows, there was no one runaway winner – all of the Top Five received positive praise from our team. We won't spoil the results, though. Scroll down to see what we liked most from this year's Frankfurt expo. 5th Place – MERCEDES-BENZ IAA CONCEPT View 12 Photos MIKE AUSTIN: The clean lines on this concept have me excited for a more elegant beauty to future Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Next to the Concept IAA, the lovely S-Class Coupe looks like an overstyled barge. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Yeah, the extendable rear is neat and all, but I'm more interested in the front-end styling of this one. It looks like the Tron version of a 300SL, in a good way. I'm hopeful it portends the future of Mercedes design. STEVEN EWING: I was super impressed when Mercedes said that, with the rear end extended, this concept has a drag coefficient of just 0.19. That's crazy aerodynamic. I'm not head-over-heels about the styling, but I think the lessons learned from this concept are really important, and will play a huge role in the future of Mercedes' products. 4th Place – ALFA ROMEO GIULIA View 15 Photos SEYTH MIERSMA: I can hardly express how in love with this car I am. The styling feels creative, modern, and evocative, without going over the top. The proposed performance is spectacular. And the Alfa badge speaks to a legacy of romantic motoring. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Pretty Italian car makes big promises and will probably deliver on about three quarters of them. I think that will still be enough for me. JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I'm really intrigued by the Giulia. It looks great, sounds awesome, and I'm expecting it to have a load more character than its German rivals. I hope I'm not disappointed. 3rd Place – JAGUAR F-PACE View 15 Photos GREG MIGLIORE: It's the first SUV for Jaguar, and I think they nailed the design, capability, and electronics. It's the right car at the right time.